How to Win at Warhammer 40K

Space Wolves

2010-05-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'd to like to let everyone know about my Space Wolves blog called Space Wolves Grey, which has been around for little over a year now.

Since taking my Tau army to the 2009 Grand Tournament and being in danger of qualifying, I fancied a fiercer, more 'in your face' army for 5th edition Warhammer 40K, which seems to favour bludgeoning things to death and blasting them apart with destructive weapons rather than tactically applying gentles waves of firepower.

Obviously, Space Wolves are a very different army to Tau and play completely differently. Instead of falling back and strategically shooting, you're advancing and strategically charging.

One thing that should never be underestimated is the sheer ferocity of the Space Wolves. I don't care how tough you think your Blood Angels are, because with a little tactics thrown in, they don't stand a chance!

Anyway, enough talk. What does the amazing Space Wolves blog have to offer?

Well, as the complete online resource for the Space Wolves chapter of Space Marines, The Space Wolves blog coveres everything from how to paint space wolves to all manner of tactics, unit reviews, pick up n' play army lists and of course Space Wolves battle reports.

I still haven't taken my Space Wolves to a tournament, which is a pretty shocking. They weren't legal for the Grand Tournament due to their September release date while in March I would normally be attending CARNAGE, only to find that it had been cancelled and would most likely never run again.

I am however, attending the infamous Battle of The Chumps at the end of June, which will be a real test for the Space Wolves -especially with the army building.

In the meantime check out the Space Wolves blog. If you're thinking of playing Space Wolves, you'll be glad that you did!

Warhammer Tau

2009-04-14T10:38:00.001-07:00

As you may have noticed, How to Win at Warhammer 40K has been quiet lately. As my first venture into the big world of blogging, I quickly spent all the Warhammer 40K related content that was in my head to the point where I could no longer generalised about the game, it's tactics and the nefarious practice of highly suspicious dice rolling techniques.

So when it comes down to the specific armies of Warhammer 40K, that's when things get hazey -especially in 5th edition. Now I love Warhammer 40K 5th edition due to its sheer complexity. But, then downside of this, is that the only way you can learn how to beat an army and win with your own army is to have faced that kind of force before.

It's not like the old days of 4th edition when you could simply rock up with a power list and blow your opponent off the board with a little paper-rock-scissors. In 5th edition you need to understand what is in your opponents army, what he's most likely to do and what your army can do to counter it.

The game still has elements of paper-rock-scissors and the game of Chess which 4th edition devolved into, but the new deployment rules and Outflank really throws the tried an tested game mechanics into a new spiral.

The only way to overcome this is often to play a new kind of army, get ripped to shreds and come back for more until you crack them. Once you've figured out how to beat them, it's a simple case of trying out your new tactics until a new army emerges to destabilise the balance or your opponent thinks a way around what you're doing.

So the reason that I have stopped writing How to Win at Warhammer 40K is because I'm busy playing games, learning new tricks and writing my new Tau blog called Warhammer Tau, which unsuprisingly focusses on the Tau in Warhammer 40K.

I've been running a Tau army for little over a year now with a mixed bag of success. I've tested out all the Tau units, given some tournament lists a try, thrown them out the window and then remashed the force into the Tau army that suits my playing style and tactical preferences.

I took my Tau army to another tournament last month and learned a heck of a lot from the experience. That's one thing I really love about the game side of the Warhammer 40K, which is learning new tricks against new opponents. You never stop learning and a tournament is one of the places where you can learn a lot in just two days of non stop 40K.

I've never gone to a tournament to win it, but rather, to learn from it as I don't have enough opponents with a wide enough variety of armies where I live. Perhaps when that changes I'll claw my way back to the top? If you're interested in how my Tau did, then feel free to read my 40k battle reports from the weekend.

Due to the challenges of 5th edition (and taking a bit of a kicking in 4th edition) my Tau have emerged stronger than ever, making the most of a difficult situation that revolves around claiming objectives instead of killing things. But any army can adapt, even the Tau.

With a new focus on mobility and firepower rather than sheer volume of shots, the mechanised Tau army works very well due to the survivability of its tanks and the close range retaliation of its Tau battlesuits. The Tau battlesuit teams have been particularly terrifying for my opponents since 4th edition when they were more of an annoyance. Now the Tau battlesuits are deadly opponents, even in close combat against anyone without a power weapon. But when you consider how much the Warhammer 40K game is altered by perception, perhaps its my Tau battlesuit conversions which have made all the difference compared the the skinny battlesuits from straight off the sprues?

All things considered, I was suprised at how well I did in the recent tournament when I had only played a handful of games and spent two weeks frantically painting my Tau army into completion before playing 1 warm up game with it on the Friday evening before it all kicked off in the morning.

The most difficult part of the tournament was when a big crowd of tournament regulars came to watch the final turn of my game against an Eldar player. I got the impression that they were all suprised how well I was doing with my little Tau army, which wasn't particularly cheesy. One guy even contemplated taking his Tau army to the tabletop again, despite the web wide slating the Tau have received regarding their performance in Warhammer 40K 5th edition. Perhaps they just have to be played differently?

I made some small changes to my army following the tournament, having learned that sometimes it's better to not shoot in order to stay safe and wait until the enemy advance into the rapid fire range of your plasma rifles. I am forever learning how to play the Tau in many new in interesting ways. So while How to Win at Warhammer 40K dies, Warhammer Tau shall grow and prosper.

To read all about my Tau army, the games I play, the models I paint and the opponents I crush (or run away from!), subscribe to Warhammer Tau, the Tau blog with everything you ever wanted to know about playing Tau in Warhammer 40K, but were afraid to ask.

Re Rolling and Why It's So Important

2009-03-13T01:46:00.001-07:00

Many units in Warhammer 40K gain re rolls. Although re rolling the dice is often overlooked as a freebie for a number of units, for others it is a tactical essential. So this week How to Win at Warhammer 40K is going to look at dice re rolls, the units that get them, the units that should get them and what makes re rolling your dice so important to winning the game.

Ensure Kills / Ensure Survival
The most important part of dice re rolls is to make sure you kill something or that your unit survives against a devastating attack. There are many units that can achieve rerolls either through psychic powers, weapon selections or special rules which can be passed to the squad a character leads or even a whole army.

I'm going to take you through a few examples of units which generate re rolls of the dice for various purposes. Of course there are many more in the game, but I'll leave you to discover those.

Ork Rokkit Buggy
A simple example of a unit that comes with a twin linked weapon as standard. Rokkits are the only long ranged weapons that the Orks have with any certainty of possibly hitting something, which is why they are more often than not twin linked on their vehicles.

Normally a rokkit hits on 5+. That's a 2 in 6 (1 in 3) chance of hitting.
Chances are, you're going to miss. So you get to roll again, greatly reducing the odds to hit by granting you an extra shot.

Tyranid Dakka-fex
Possibly one of the best and most affordable reroll units in the game. The dakka-fex comes with two sets of twin linked devourers and the 'living ammo' rule.

So that's 8 shots, usually hitting on 4+, which will get you 4 hits on average. You then reroll the 4 shots that missed, scoring another 2 hits on average for a total of 6 out of 8.

When it comes to rolling to wound, you have Strength 6 and against most troops, that's 2+ to wound. On average that will be 5 wounds inflicted, 1 fail, which you can reroll because of 'living ammunition' for a practically guaranteed 6 wounds in total.

Not bad when you consider that without being twin linked (which doesn't cost much more) the Tyranid dakk-fex would only score 4 hits and probably 3-4 wounds.

Eldar farseer with doom/fortune/guide
When it comes to re rolls, the Eldar Farseer has three interesting powers. Fortune we're all familiar with as it allows the unit he has cast the power on to re roll any failed armour or cover saves for the turn. Meanwhile Doom forces an enemy unit to re roll all the passed armour or cover saves that they make.

Let's run through some examples:
The Farseer casts DOOM on a space marine tactical squad before a squad of Dire Avengers open fire on them with their Blade Storm shuriken catapults. And then casts GUIDE on the Dire Avengers while another Farseer (I'm cramming all the examples in here!) casts FORTUNE on them as well.

The Dire Avengers 'Blade Storm' the Space Marines, firing 30 shots which hit on 3+
20 of the shots hit, 10 miss.
GUIDE allows them to reroll the 10 missed dice, scoring 7 more hits.
The Eldar player then takes his 27 hits and rolls to would on a 4+, producing 13 wounds.
However, because DOOM has been cast on the unit, the Dire Avenger squad (plus any other squads that are shooting the Space Marine unit) may reroll any failed attempts to wound.
So the 14 dice that failed to wound can be rerolled, producing 7 wounds. Add that to the 13 wounds aleady infliced for a total of 20 wounds!

The Space Marine player will on average fail 1 in 3 armour saves. In this case that's 20 saves, which will result in roughly 7 failed saves = 7 dead space marines.

Now that's quite a big difference between losing 4 Space Marines (without rerolling to wound for DOOM) and 7 Space Marines (nearly double!).

The Space Marines stand their ground and return fire with a plasma gun, a plasma pistol and a plasma cannon (not likely I know, but this is an example in statistics). The plasma cannon scatters mildly, hitting 2 Dire Avengers, the plasma gun hits twice and the plasma pistol misses. This produces a total of 4 hits, all of which wound on 2+ for a total of 3-4 wounds. Let's go with 4 for easy maths.

Luckily, the Dire Avengers are currently in cover and receive a 4+ cover save against these 4 hits.
The Eldar Player rolls 4 dice and passes 2 cover saves. But thanks to FORTUNE, the Dire Avengers may reroll any failed dice. The Eldar player then roll the 2 failed cover saves again, passing 1 and failing 1. As a result 1 Dire Avenger dies instead of 2.

Vulkan Hestan
A few weeks back How to Win at Warhammer 40K covered Vulkan Hestan in his entirety with a full blown tactica based around the fact that he gives every Thunder Hammer, Melta gun, MultiMelta, Flamer and Heavy Flamer the master crafted or twin linked ability. So it's no wonder really that so many people are building Salamanders Space Marine armies now.

Rerolling to hit with Melta weapons greatly increases the Space Marines 2 in 3 chance to hit (aka: 3+) to around 5 in 6.

As for Flamers, you are able to reroll to wound instead. So let's say a Flamer hits 8 Orks and wounds them on 4+, you will score 4 wounds on average.
Reroll the 4 failed dice and you will score another 2 wounds on average for a total of 6 wounds = 6 dead Orks.

Conclusion
Rerolling the dice is something that many of us take for granted, but a quick look at the statistics proves just how powerful rerolls can be when it comes to killing enemy units as well as absorbing damage.

But are twin linked weapons worth the cost?
Some units are able to easily twin link their weapons. Tau Battlesuits spring to mind, as does the Tyranid Dakka-fex.

But how many points does it cost and are there better, more affordable options?
Well, that's up to you to sit down and work out. More shots is usually a better choice, but can often be more expensive. Sometimes it's cheaper to boost a unit's Ballistic Skill than to twin link their weapons. Many of the army Codex books are a law unto themselves. So sit down with a calculator, work out the points and work out the statistics of hitting and wounding to see which gives you the best results.

Or if all else fails, jump on the Vulkan Hestan bandwagon, then cry when he's not in the next Space Marine codex.

P.S. I apologise that this article is a week late. I've been reformatting my PC.

Warhammer 40K Deployment Tactics

2009-02-28T01:21:00.000-08:00

In 5th edition Warhammer 40K deployment is a game in itself. As previously discussed in the Deathwing army article, having the first turn can mean very little when you have nothing to shoot at.

So this week, How to Win at Warhammer 40K is going to discuss the pros and cons of going first, setting up first, going second, setting up second or just holding everything in reserve and hoping that enough of your army shows up on Turn 2 -with some help from high Natural Rolls and the black art of Practiced Rolling of course.

Victory goes to he who fires first
The most important thing to remember is that in Warhammer 40K 5th edition, the gung ho approach works best, which usually means units spring from off the table to open fire and charge, causing absolute carnage before the enemy can even strike.

As a result, deployment is very much a game of cat and mouse with player 2 (who goes second) reacting to the deployment of player 1 (who goes first).

I'll stick with these examples to avoid confusion. I will also give a simple overview about deployment tactics. I will save deployment in the various mission types for another time. For now, let's just grasp the basics.

Player 1 Deploys Entire Army
As player 1, you get to choose your deployment zone, set up first and get the first turn. This means your are effectively throwing down the gauntlet and player 2 must rise to the challenge.

If player 1 sets up their whole army, player 2 is disinclined to do the same as player 1 is likely to get the first turn of the game. Rolling to 'Seize the Initiative' is an option for the truely desperate or the best of Practiced Rolls.

Obviously, player 2 doesn't want to get shot to peices before his first turn, so he will most likely put his army in reserve.

This means that Player 1 will have 2 Turns of doing very little beyond getting ready for the arrival of the enemy and moving into a defensive position.

On Turn 2, player 2's army will begin to arrive. Statistically, half of his army should arrive on Turn 2 with the remainder arriving on Turn 3, then some stragglers on Turn 4.

While you would think that this would put player 1 at an advantage, who has 100% of his army against 50% of player 2's army, this isn't entirely the case.

Because 50% of player 2's army will move on from the table edge, or even table sides using the Outflank rules, player 2 will be able to attack player 1.

It's events like this that make mobile firepower armies so advantageous in Warhammer 40K 5th edition because they can move and shoot at a considerable combined range. As a result, player 1 will most likely lose 25% of their army with player 2 being able to target key threat units.

Player 1 is now able to retaliate with 75% of his army against 50% of player 2's army. But as player 2 will have eliminated many key threats, the counter attack won't be as effective.

The rest of player 2's forces arrive in the following turn, being strategically deployed where they are needed along the entirety of his table edge or from the flanks using the Outflank rules. Because of this, player 2 is at a strong tactical advantage to player 1, being able to eliminate key threats and reduce player 1's killing potential, all while being able to grab objectives no doubt.

Player 1 Holds Entire Army in Reserve
If player 1 chose to hold his entire army in reserve, player 2 can either deploy his entire army, or hold his army in reserve as well.

If player 2 deploys his entire force, then he is waiting for player 1's army to entire the battle. However, he only has to wait for 1 Turn instead of 2. In a similar role reversal, player 2 is now at a tactical disadvantage.

If player 2 also holds his entire force in reserve, he is at an advantage because player 1's reserves will arrive a Turn earlier. So player 2 will be able to bring on his reserves to counter player 1's units that have just arrived. This often turns into a long string of countering units, creating a battle of attrition in favour of player 2, but also dependant upon the types of armies being played. I'll let you decide if you want to go down this potentially bloody road.

Player 1 Deploys Some Units and Hold Others in Reserve
This is probably the best mix unless you specifically know how to deploy to deal with a particular type of army. Or in the case of facing an all-Deathwing terminator army when you know that they will all be deepstriking.

The downside of being player 1 means that while you will win against anyone foolish enough to engage in a stand up fight (unless they're making a Practiced Roll for that Seize the Initiative 6!), when it comes to reserves, you will always be countered by player 2's reserves, unless you have some other counter units in place that are set up during the deployment phase. On the plus side, you have the opportunity to go grab objectives before the fight begins. And as many kill frenzied players have discovered: Your army can be obliterated, but if you've got more objectives, you still win.

Depoyment Tactics and Dice Rolling
Some players, as you may have seen have a rather uncanny ability to control the arrival of their reserves. This is where I shall talk about the black arts of dice rolling, namely Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling.

As I have said before, Natural Rolling is the subconscious manipulation of dice rolling techniques to achieve the desired result, which is built up from the constant dice rolling from regular play. Not always spot on, but typically above the odds.

Meanwhile Practiced Rolling is a conscious form of cheating, built up from a practiced method of dice rolling in order to achieve a consistent result, usually a 4+ or 5+. Sometimes even the ability to consistently roll nothing but a 6.

There's nothing more horrifying than none of your opponent's reserves arriving on Turn 2, which means his entire army will rock up on Turn 3 and blow you away as you waste another turn of waiting for the enemy to arrive. Similarly, the entire force showing up on Turn 2 and blowing you away isn't pleasant either.

This is why it's best to hold some units in reserve, while deploying others on the table from the start. Certain missions allow for you to protect your units a little better with added distance or even night fighting. So in Dawn of War, if you keep your starting units 36" away from the enemy, you should be fine for the first couple of turns.

Obviously, these factors are all variable depending on the type of army you play and the army you are facing.

Conclusion

These are the basics when it comes to deployment tactics in Warhammer 40K 5th edition. However, almost every army acts differently with regards to deployment. Unfortuately, I can't list all the different army types and configurations, so it is up to you to master how to deploy your army while reacting to the tactics your opponent employs when it comes to deployment.

Remember, the Warhammer 40K tournament champs didn't get to the top by not playing games. Now go play some games and put the theory into practice and see what you learn.

Until next week when I talk about rerolls and why they're so essential to a successful battleplan.

Fun with a Thousand Sons army

2009-02-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

I took my friend's Thousand Sons army for a spin this week. Thousand Sons were grossly underestimated in Warhammer 40K 4th edition, but in 5th edition the benefits of Thousand Sons are a little more obvious.

While my friend's Thousand Sons are used to rely on waddling forward before a great flapping Christmas turkey leapt out of a possessed sorcerer and started gobbling up my guys, now their AP3 bolters are their greatest strength.

So can you feasibly play a pure Thousand Sons army in 5th edition 40K and still win?

All Change
Few people had an interest in Thousand Sons until the recent 'all flavours' Chaos Space Marines Codex, which allows you to mix the marks of chaos and their chosen elite troops choices while throwing daemons into generic categories as the real chaos daemons branched off to form their own Codex, which I will cover in time.

While I feel that the new Thousand Sons are generally weaker now that they have only 1 wound, they are truly devastating when it comes to fighting Space Marines due to their AP3 weaponry, but lacking against other types of troops.

Thousand Sons for the Purist
The purest of Thousand Sons players will refuse to take anything that can't have a mark of tzeentch, much like the restrictions of the 4th edition Chaos Space Marines Codex. Generally, this means that bikers and raptors are out of the equation and the same goes for Obliterators. And anyone who even considers cult troops from another power should be turned into a dribbly spawn on the spot -or so my friend insists!

So what does he field in his Thousand Sons army?

Thousand Sons Essentials
With Thousand Sons as your only troops, it's essential to have at least 2 squads, accompanied by a sorcerer, all packed into a Rhino APC.

The sorcerer is a powerful addition to the Thousand Sons squad, not only for his number of attacks with a force weapon, but for his access to psychic powers -most importantly the Bolt of Change.

While many may rave about Wind of Chaos and Warp Time, you need your Thousand Sons squads to function much like a more mobile Space Marine tactical squad and for that you need anti-tank weaponry to accompany the anti-infantry firepower of your basic troopers.

The mobility of Thousand Sons is often overlooked by players who see their Slow & Purposeful rules as a restriction. In a straight shoot out with entrenched Plague Marines Thousand Sons will always lose. But when transported in a rhino, the ability to disembark and shoot 24" with AP3 bolters is a huge benefit and thanks to the force weapon swinging sorcerer, a squad is no slouch in close combat either. Thousand Sons purists will be keep to take a 9 man squad (the sacred number of Tzeentch), but fewer squad members can help you to cut costs and cram more suitable support units and elite choices into your army.

Lord of Tzeentch
A Chaos Lord with a Daemon Weapon and the mark of Tzeentch is a fearsome opponent -more so than the Chaos Sorcerer Lord with combi-plasma and Warp Time which has proven popular amongst the tournament players. The Tzeentch Daemon weapon allows him to not only roll +D6 attacks in close combat, but fire D6 range 24" Strength 4, AP3 shots, which hit on 2+. Joined to a Thousand Sons squad led by a Sorcerer with force weapon and Bolt of Change, the Lord of Tzeentch greatly benefits the squad, especially while riding in the rhino as he can fire from out of the top hatch (as well as the sorcerer with Bolt of Change) inflicting substantial damage on the enemy.

What to take in a Thousand Sons army?
Obviously, Thousand Sons squads in rhinos, led by sorcerers with Bolt of Change and a Chaos Lord with a daemon weapon and the mark of Tzeentch.

The key to the army succeeding its its mobility. While rhinos may get destroyed (and they usually do) Thousand Sons can still march forward and fire 24". I feel that you need to field as many Thousand Sons units as possible because they're quite durable with their 3+ save and 4+ invulnerable save, which means you don't need to stick to cover.

My friend on the other hand likes to field 2 Predators and a possessed Chaos Land Raider for long range support. I find these rather frustrating as their firepower is restricted by their mobility. The Land Raider is quite awesome actually, if rather expensive. He often places it in the centre of his deployment zone, where it lazily pivots and eliminates an armoured target each turn while ignoring all stunned and shaken results due to its daemonic possession. Although its reduced Ballistic Skill of3 has made it somewhat less reliable than a regular Ballistic Skill 4 Land Raider, even with re-rolls.

He also fields a Chaos Dreadnought, which I believe is a huge liability (at least when I play!) due to its unpredictable nature -it either runs forward dribbling or shoots your own men.

I personally, would field as many Chaos Terminators armed with combi-plasmas as possible, with one carrying a icon of Tzeentch to give the squad a 4+ invulnerable save. As one of the true gung-ho units of 5th edition (and thanks to dice rolling techniques) Terminators are extremely durable and the 4+ invulnerable save makes plasma weaponry far less threatening.

Of course, don't forget to give your Thousand Sons squad Sorcerers personal icons to help deepstriking units land and hopefully charge when they do.

The less strict Thousand Sons players will also been keen to employ a squad of 2 Obliterators who can add some much needed specialised firepower to the army and march forward in support of the disembarked Thousand Sons squads.

Conclusion

Thousand Sons are a great looking army with a strong theme and very specialised units. While you may struggle against hordes, you will butcher anything that relies on a 3+ armour save. So if you're looking for an army that's unusual and fun to play or you just want to butcher all the Space Marine fan boys in your local area, then give Thousand Sons a try!

But if you're looking to win games, Plague Marines are better due to their lower cost, more flexible options, Toughness 5, Feel No Pain, extra close combat weapons and blight grenades. I'll confess that a Nurgle army looks very appealing thanks to the 5th edition Chaos Marines codex.

Outflanking Tactics

2009-02-13T02:03:00.000-08:00

Outflanking is the new trick in Warhammer 40K 5th edition. While deployment has taken a totally new and tactical approach compared to previous editions, Outflanking is an ability that can be used to achieve a very unfair tactical advantage.

If 4th edition Warhammer 40K was like a game of chess, then 5th edition Warhammer 40K is for the gung ho crazies with big, tough and hard hitting units that can weather incoming fire while dishing out the pain up close and personal, or far away with unmatched firepower. But what happens when one of these gung ho units is Outflanking?

Then, there’s less time to deal with them, meaning that even a lone Outflanking unit can become a major threat to the more vulnerable elements of your army.

Who Can Outflank?
The Outflank ability is open to any unit with the Scout or Infiltrate ability. That goes for their transports as well.

Every army has units which can Outflank, but some armies benefit from this ability far more than others, especially if they can field units with the Outflank ability in abundance.

Uses of Outlank
Outlank has a number of practical and tactical uses from herding the enemy to unexpected assaults, prime deployment of special weapons and objective grabbing.

herding
Herding occurs when a fast moving and powerful Outflanking unit forces the enemy army to deploy more cautiously. Outflanking Genestealers are a good example of an effective ‘herder’ due to their Fleet of Foot ability. When moving 6” on from the board edge, they may Fleet of Foot a further D6” and then charge 6”, for a total move of 18”. Cautious players will ensure that their units are at least 18” away from either board edge to prevent an unexpected 2nd turn charge from these Outflanking assault specialists.

Of course, by herding the enemy into the centre of their deployment zone, it is often easy to deny them objectives while clustering their troops closer together for the new highly accurate blast weapons of Warhammer 40K 5th edition.

If the enemy is particularly tough in close combat, then herding may not be an option. Sometimes it can be worth sacrificing a unit (like Kroot!) for a devastating round of close combat which can eliminate an enemy unit worth considerably more points than the sacrifice while absorbing an amount of enemy firepower in the following turn.

If you care about your troops a little more, then Objective Grabbing is a cheap alternative.

objective grabbing
Pretty simple. Bring your Outflanking unit on to the board and run them towards the nearest uncontested objective, then whenever they’re shot at, simply go to ground. Let’s see the enemy try and grab that objective –especially if they were foolish enough to deploy their Capture & Control objective in an unprotected corner.

easy kills
An Outflanking unit armed with a special weapon (or special weapons!) will often take the opportunity to get a mass of melta guns into close range against a tank’s vulnerable side or rear armour. Remember that Scout units transfer their Scout ability to their dedicated transports. Players can either take the hit and hope their unit survives (in time for a counter attack), or allow Outflanking units with specialised guns to herd them away from the sides of the board.

Advanced Deployment Using Outflank
Another useful application of the Outflank ability is as an alternative form of Deep Strike –and a far safer one at that.

When your units come on from the side of the table, you can place them anywhere 48” along, ensuring that not only do they deploy safely and maximizing their firepower or close combat potential upon arrival, but take advantage of the current battlefield conditions whether that’s targeting vulnerable units, claiming objectives, making the most of terrain or reinforcing a failing position.

Outflank and Dice Rolling Techniques
Yes, the favourite taboo topic of How to Win at Warhammer 40K is back!

As previously discussed in Dice Rolling Techniques, the fewer dice you roll, the easier it is to manipulate them as a Practiced Roll or high Natural Roll.

So rolling a single D6 at a time for each Reserve Roll of 4+ makes it relatively easy for a well seasoned (or downright dirty) player to bring the majority of his army on to the table during Turn 2.

But be aware that while getting your Outflanking units into play may be simple, your opponent may have other plans if they have gone up against players with high Natural Rolls or consistent Practiced Rolls.

In a recent game, I felt it was prudent to take advantage of an opponent’s high Natural Rolling by deploying my entire army on my right flank.

After rolling for reserves to arrive, the player with an Outflanking unit must roll to see where they come on. 1-2 it’s the left edge, 3-4 the right edge and 5-6 they can choose.

It makes sense for a high roller to bring their Outflanking units on from the right hand side as all they have to do is roll high (usually 4+). So based on this likely outcome, I deployed my entire army on MY right hand side (his left).

It works against an army with a handful of Outflanking units, but an entire army of Outflanking units is exceptionally tough when they are fast moving, durable and armed with countless melta guns, multimeltas, assault cannons and heavy bolters –yes, I am talking about the Ravenwing, although White Scars are just as bad.

Conclusion

In small doses, Outflank is a fun special rule that opens up new tactics for units that would otherwise get gunned down out in the open while challenging the lateral thinking of players to form more flexible armies that can attack and react to threats from all directions.

But in the case of an entire army of Outflanking units, it is the most brutal battle of attrition. The simplest defence against Ravenwing and White Scars space marine armies is to hold everything in reserve and counter their army unit by unit. Due to the cost of White Scars units with dedicated transports (to benefit from the Outflank rules) this battle is quite feasible. But against a savvy Ravenwing player who can comfortably field up to 14 units in 1,500pts, it calls for an equally, mobile, durable and effective army.

Finally, watch out for Outflanking Genestealers combined with Lictors: The Lictors tend to hide in terrain around the centre of your deployment zone while Genestealers rush on from the sides, herding your forces into the waiting Lictors. This is a problem for some armies and it isn’t for others. – hence why in many ways Warhammer 40K 5th edition rewards the gung ho army.

But as the tournament scene redevelops itself in this new edition, anything could happen.
So keep playing, keep experimenting and see what you come up with.
As I always say; the best players got good by playing the game.

Vulkan Hestan

2009-02-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

Vulkan Hestan is essential for a Salamanders army. Vulkan Hestan is not only a great character in his own right, but makes all your thunder hammers master crafted while all flamers, heavy flamers, melta guns and multimeltas become twin linked.

Salamanders forgefather Vulkan Hestan is just one of the excellent special character choices from the new Space Marine codex, but if you thought that this weeks How to Win at Warhammer 40K article is entirely about him, then you’ll be in for a surprise.
Instead, I’m looking at concepts behind army building and how it’s natural to overlook the obvious options while attempting to dig a new super combo from the latest codex books.

Keeping it Simple
It’s common for competitive players to contemplate the most powerful game winning combinations of units, weapons and wargear while maximizing numbers of models, scoring units and uber units. But sometimes, keeping it simple can be the greatest army builder of all.

Vulkan Hestan then, is a perfect example of how theming can make a great game winning army. Simply put, if you take Vulkan Hestan, then all your thunder hammers, flamers and meltas greatly improve.

Naturally, to optimise thee effectively free upgrades, you want to maximise on units that can be equipped with thunder hammers, flamers and meltas.

Suddenly your army selection is less of a mind boggling matter as you quickly tick off all the essentials: thunder hammer terminators, multimelta attack bikes, multimelta and heavy flamer land speeders, and some tactical squads with multimeltas and flamers for good measure. Then again, a Land Raider Redeemer with a multimelta slapped on top would be fun too.

Choose your Character
With so many special characters in the codex books, 5th edition Warhammer 40K seems to be borrowing a number of elements from the Privateer Press game Warmachine. Simply pick your special character and build an army around them, reaping the benefits from their abilities as best you can.

Vulkan Hestan, Sammael and Belial and probably the most obvious examples of this.
If you take Belial to lead your Dark Angels army, Deathwing Terminators become troops, so take nothing but terminators and use Belial’s Deathwing Assault rules.
If you take Sammael to lead your Dark Angels army, Ravenwing Squads become troops, so go crazy and take nothing but Ravenwing and make the most of the Outflank rules.

Conclusion

Before Christmas a friend asked how he should build a Ravenwing army list.
Quite casually, I said “Just buy 3 battle force boxed sets and Sammael in his land speeder. Then Give all your bikes melta guns and all your attack bikes multimeltas.”

It was such an obvious list that I never imagined how infuriating it would be to play against when everything uses the Outflank rule (more on this another time).

So don’t shy away from building an obvious and effective army list while searching for a new competitive concoction from your chosen codex. Often, it’s the simplest ideas that work the best. Now to go fine tune my Tau army some more.

Top 5 Uber Units

2009-01-23T02:13:00.000-08:00

5th edition has brought a lot of exciting new changes to Warhammer 40K and suddenly when all obscuring cover has vanished in exchange for a 4+ cover save, a number of units now stand taller than others, laughing in the field of fire as bullets bounce harmlessly off their armour or thick hides.

This week I have chosen to take a look at the ‘uber units’ of Warhammer 40K 5th edition. All of them are easy to use and none of them can be beaten without some clever tactics.

The Uber Unit
Every army has one. Some are better than others, but often an uber unit can rampage through an entire army without breaking a sweat unless properly challenged.

Each uber unit has its own strengths and weaknesses. Often the solution is massed firepower from rapid fire weapons up close, followed by a finishing charge. All of these units typically take a turn from your entire army to kill, making them an essential choice for any competitive player.

While it’s easy for anyone to create their own uber unit, I am focusing my attentions on units that are not just high destructive and very effective, but also excellent value for your points. After all, there’s no point pumping all your points into a fully pimped out Space Marine Chatper Master Command squad when it eats up most of your army allowance.

1 – Ork Nob Bikers
They’re green, they’re mean and you wish they were on your team! Every Ork player and his pet squig seem to field a mob of Nob Bikers led by a Warboss with Painboy for Feel No Pain, Powerclaws and the occasional Waaagh Banner in tow.

Great for absorbing firepower, the Nob Bikers regularly Turbo Boost in front of an enemy unit, soak up the incoming fire, then charge in and tear them apart.
Toughness 5, 2 wounds, a 3+ invulnerable Turbo Boost save and 4+ Feel No Pain is incredibly hard to kill.

Things to watch out for:
Plasma, Melta, Ordnance weapons, getting rapid fired en masse.

2 – Space Marine Assault Terminators
Armed with thunder hammer and storm shield, a squad of assault terminators with Toughness 4, 2+ save and a 3+ invulnerable save can take a lot of firepower from basic weapons, ordnance shells and low AP weapons alike.

Once they get into close combat, the thunder hammers will make a mess of any target, usually stunning it to finish it off in the next phase of combat.

These units will typically Deep Strike before running towards the enemy, absorbing firepower or receiving charges, then battering their way through with their sheer toughness and brutality. Against opponents wise enough or fast enough to move away, assault terminators work as a durable herder unit, allowing you to ‘herd’ the enemy army into a clustered position for blast weapons, off objectives or into other elements of your force.

Things to watch out for:
Getting stranded; due to their slow movement, assault terminators can be left wide out in the open by fast moving armies.

3 – The Eldar Avatar
Khaela Mensha Khaine, the Eldar Avatar, is often overlooked by competitive players, but thanks to his relatively low points cost, Toughness 6, Strength 6, 4 wounds, high Initiative, high Attacks, 3+ save and 4+ invulnerable save, he’s a very scary prospect for any army. He can also fire The Wailing Doom like a melta gun, hitting on 2+. Owch!

The Eldar Avatar typically runs straight towards the middle of the enemy formation, soaking up all manner of firepower that would normally threaten the fragile Eldar army by acting as a distraction. Best of all, Metal weapons (now very popular in 5th edition) have no effect against him. And should anyone try to run away, he can shoot them with The Wailing Doom.

Things to watch out for:
Getting stranded; due to the Eldar Avatar’s slow movement, he can be left behind when facing a fast moving army.
Sniper rifles and assortedl Monstrous creature killing weapons.
Expect him to die; While it’s great if he charges something or gets charged, the best use of the Eldar Avatar is as a fire magnet and for little over 100pts he’s an absolute bargain!

4 – Tyranid Dakka-Fex
The humble Dakka-Fex Carnifex model is incredibly popular among Tyranid players and it’s plain to see why when it takes up an Elite slot, costs relatively little and pumps out an impressive number of shots from its two sets of twin linked Devourers. So not only does it reroll to hit, but it also rerolls to wound thanks to the Living Ammo special rules. Meanwhile, the Carnifex ‘chassis’ itself is very tough and durable, if a little sluggish in close combat –although thanks to other elements of the Tyranid army, it never needs to get into close combat.

It’s common to see all 3 Elite slots taken up by Dakka-Fexes for cheap, reliable and durable anti troop firepower. I once faced off against 3 Dakka-Fexes as well as 2 Dakka-Tyrants. My infantry didn’t last long at all.

Things to watch out for:
Close combat units, plasma, melta, lascannons, sniper rifles and the usual Monstrous creature killing weapons

5- Slaanesh Daemon Prince with Lash of Submission
Often seen in pairs, a Chaos Marine Daemon Prince with the mark of Slaanesh and the Lash of Submission is a popular choice for many Chaos players. While the Daemon prince is no slouch in close combat as a high Initiative monstrous creature with plenty of attacks, high strength and a 3+ save as well as Wings to get them into the fight faster, it’s the Lash of Submission combined with the Wings you need to watch out for.

Wings help to extend the range of ‘the Lash’ to an effective 36”, allowing the Daemon Prince to easily drag enemy units out of cover and into the guns of the Chaos army. The Lash also makes it easier for a Daemon Prince with Wings to charge an enemy unit.

Things to watch out for:
Specialist high strength close combat units, plasma, melta, lascannons, sniper rifles and the usual Monstrous creature killing weapons.

Conclusion

While there are many Uber Units in the game, there are also many cost effective units scattered throughout the army lists. So it’s up to you to go through your Codex with a fine tooth comb, figuring out how much you can get for as little of your points as possible. After all, the top tournament players and army builders only got to where they are by playing lots of games and testing lots of units.

NECROMUNDA

2009-01-16T11:11:00.000-08:00

Necromunda, the greatest game ever made. Necromunda had it all from Wild West shoot outs to Cyberpunk horrors, which makes me sad to see that Necromunda has such a small following nowadays. I remember a time when ever kid in my school had a Necromunda gang. But that was 10 years ago.

The appeal of Necromunda when we were youngsters was how affordable a Necromunda gang was. All you needed was a £12 gang boxed set, maybe two if you wanted some conversions. You got all the Necromunda scenery in the big Necromunda box, plus plenty of plastic Goliaths and Orlocks, which no one actually liked, because they were buying Van Sarr instead.

Before this nostalgic ramble about Necromunda continues, I will outline the points I wish to illustrate about this semi-competitive spin off to Warhammer 40K in relation to the purpose of How to Win at Warhammer 40K.

My gaming group have been fanatical about Necromunda since we all met in school many years ago. And as we have become more competitive players in Warhamemr 40K through attending tournaments, naturally we have become more competitive players in Necromunda.

However, because we play Necromunda as a fun break from Warhammer 40K, we are not quite so aggressive when it comes to winning. We like to get wrapped up in the story of a campaign instead. Even so, I've often seen (and played) Necromund as a very competitive game with dice rolling techniques being used as well as a variety of maxed out gang lists designed to obliterate many opponents.

So if you're interested in Necromunda, here is How to Win at Necromunda, courtesy of How to Win at Warhammer 40K.

Choosing a Necromunda Gang
In Necromunda, choosing the right gang makes a big difference. Gangs vary in visual style from hi-tech heroes to screaming women, but if you actually want to win games of Necromunda, the skills chart is what makes and breaks the Necromunda gangs.
Escher Gangs
An Escher gang is entirely comprised of women, making them a very popular Necromunda gang amongst the geek elite. The Escher gang box contains some of Jes Goodwin's finishest miniatures while being no slouch in the Necromunda game either. An Escher gang has access to the Agility, Combat and Stealth skills, making them fast and sneaky close combat specialists.

Orlock Gangs:
The jack of all trades gang dressed like Mad Max. Orlock gangs have access to the Combat, Ferocity and Shooting skills, making them good and fighting, good at shooting and a little bit aggressive.

Cawdor Gangs
House Cawdor are a bunch of hooded fanatics with a medieval theme and are the least popular of the gangs (probably due to the dire model range). However, they have access to the Agility, Combat and Ferocity skills, making them aggressive close combat specialists.

Delaque Gangs
Delaque gangs combine trench coats with bald heads and glasses. A Delaque gang is often very sneaky, shooting enemy gangers in the back through a combination of Agility, Stealth and Shooting skills.

Goliath
A Goliath gang is all about Combat, Ferocity and Muscle skills. Goliath gangs have the poorest skill set available, making them particularly blunt and not very versatile.

Van Saar
Van Saar are considered by many to be the best gang in Necromunda. A Van Saar gang not only looks cool, but has access to the Combat, Shooting and highly prized Techno skills.

Necromunda Gang Progression

Now that I've gone through the gangs, let's take a look at the Necromunda Gang Experience Chart. I'll come back to the Necromunda gang skills and explain why they are so important shortly.

As you can see, there is a 33.34% chance of rolling for a New Skill on the Necromunda Gang Experience Chart and a 27.78& chance of getting a Ballistic Skill or Weapon Skill increase.

When you have a 1 in 3 chance of rolling a skill increase for a gang member, it proves just how important your choice of New Skills becomes. While most Necromunda gangs rely on stat increases to develop their characters, some skills charts are far more beneficial than others, especially when they apply to the entire gang.

The Best Necromunda Skills

Agility
Generally, agility skills give your Necromunda gangers additional movement in the form of leap, jump back or sprint while other skills such as catfall and quick draw are useful. Agility skills are best used for rapid flanking, redeployment or close combat characters.

Combat
These skills are entirely beneficial for close combat, either by improving your chances to win combats or escape damage.

Ferocity
A mixed bag of good and bad abilities. Great if your gang are losing and want to stay in the fight due to a mix of tenacity and toughness benefits, but if your gang is loosing, it's best to turn and run.

Muscle
Muscle skills are typically designed for causing more damage in close combat, but pale in comparison to the Combat skills.

Shooting
Shooting skills vary from increasing the number of shots fired to improving the damage caused from shooting, making them an excellent skill set for outgunning the opposing Necromunda gang. And in Necromunda, it's all about shooting, line of sight and maximising your angles of fire.

Stealth
As the name implies, Stealth skills offer a variety of abilities from running and hiding to special deployments.

Techno
Normally only available to leaders and heavies, Techno skills often benefit the entire gang by improving their ammo rolls, income, health and sometimes can even generate free equiment for the gang.

So Which Skills Should I Give My Necromunda Gang?

Normally it's best to select your gang skills around the gang type you have chosen. So an Escher gang will focus on close combat and stealth. A Delaque gang will focus on shooting and stealth while a Cawdor gang will focus on Ferocity and a Goliath gang will focus on Muscle.

As you can see, the poor skill tables like Ferocity and Muscle make the gangs that rely on these skills very poor as well.

Meanwhile the strong skills tables, such as Stealth, Shooting and Techno greatly benefit the gangs that make eextensive use of them, which are Delaque and Van Saar.

Why a Van Saar Gang is the Best Necromunda Gang

Techno, Techno, Techno! Techno is the best skill table in Necromunda and when an entire Van Saar gang has access to it, choosing skills becomes easy whether the gang member is a juve, ganger, leader or heavy, because you know that you are guaranteed to roll something good that will benefit the entire gang.

Van Saar also have access to the Shooting skills and even the Combat skills as a means of defence.

Because, like Warhammer 40K 2nd edition, Necromunda is designed around shooting, a shooty gang will always have a big advantage. And when it comes to playing a Campaign, the Techno skills will always generate better income, more reliable weapons and even free equipment that can be sold for even more income.

Conclusion

That's all on Necromunda for now. I will talk about Necromunda weapons another time. In the meantime, here are my top 3 Necromunda gangs.

The top 3 Necromunda gangs:
Van Saar
Delaque
Escher

Ironically, I'm currently running a Cawdor gang converted from a variety of Games Workshop plastic components and rely on the Agility skills table to allow my gang to outflank their opponents and make a rapid retreat when needed. While Van Saar, Escher and Delaque gangs may hold the gold, bronze and silver medals in Necromunda, there's always a cunning new way to outplay your opponents.

And if that fails, just play for fun and tell a story. There are hundreds of special missions you can make up from working together to rob a Guilder caravan or simply trying to survive against an endless horde of flesh eating zombies. The regular missions are pretty good too, even though they promote a more competitive style of play and can become repetitive if they are not divided by the occassional fun game, bank robbery, black mail or hostage snatch.

If you're tempted to start playing Necromunda, or looking for more great Necromunda resources, then check out these links:

Necromunda Gang Roster
Necromunda Forum
The Necromunda rulebook is still available from Games Workshop.

Dice Rolling Techniques

2009-01-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

I didn't expected to see dice rolling techniques on Christmas day. But when a certain family member was using dice rolling techniques to win a game of Outrage! (steal the crown jewels) it was time to pull out some dice rolling techniques of my own.

So this week's How to Win at Warhammer 40K article will be about dice rolling techniques, with a direct comparison of this certain family member and myself, as well as the awareness of those around us.

Now let you give me a little back story. I haven't seen this certain family member at Christmas for about 2 years, but last time we were there on Christmas day and Boxing day, we had to play this board game called Outrage!-steal the crown jewels.

It's not the greatest board game in the world, but it's ok. However, this certain family member wins hands down every time. So this year, having studied tournament tactics and dice rolling techniques, I was in a far more competitive frame of mind.

When I saw him use a blatant dice rolling technique to get 12 on 2D6 straight off the start, I knew exactly what I was in for.

As you may know from researching other resources for dice rolling techniques, the classic dice rolling technique is called 'rythm rolling' which uses a 'lock grip' to hold the specific numbers desired side by side.This makes the dice clack together as though they're being thoroughly shaken. But in truth the dice are sitting in the fold between your palm and finger. (Although other sites show illustrations of a hand actually holding the dice between the finger tips and thumb, which will CERTAINLY get you thrown out of the Casino, let alone look blatantly dodgy among friends.) With the dice in place and with the desired number, my certain family member would then bowl the dice gently (also known as a 'blanket roll' in casinos) to generate a single full rotation of the dice and achieve the desired (or closely desired) number.

Unlike my certain family member, I learned about dice rolling techniques from attending Warhammer 40k tournaments, so my techniques are a little more personalised. I hate using them, because it's cheating and it's dishonest. But "There's no prize for second place" as Sean Connery once said in Highlander.

So in response to his casion dice rolling techniques, I pulled out my own. Now my 2D6 dice rolling technique is to pick up the two dice, half close the hand and jiggle them in the palm until you get two reasonably high numbers facing upwards, next to one another in the gap between the lower part of the ring finger and middle finger. I then make a backhand action with a flick of the wrist which produces one full rotation of the dice. It doesn't guarantee particular numbers, but it can help to generate a higher total than normal. This technique is personal to me and works most of the time. However, it may not work for you, which is why you will see many different and personalised dice rolling techniques when you attend a tournament in the future. Having read this blog, you'll probably spot dice rolling techniques a lot more quickly, however it's important to be aware of the difference between Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling.

See Dice Rolling 101 for more on dice rolling techniques

Be Alert!
The game was a close fight to the finish, but we ran out of time on Christmas day and had to make our way home. However, as I got into the car my Dad asked me:
"Was he using dice rolling techniques?"
"Wasn't it obvious?" I replied.
"Only because you've been telling me about dice rolling techniques." He said.

And that's the interesting part of all this. Because our other relatives, who were also playing the game simply perceived our dice rolls as being naturally lucky, nobody batted an eyelid at the frankly disgusting number of 10, 11 and 12 results being rolled on 2D6. Luckily they knew nothing about dice rolling probability or mathhammer either.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Recently I was reading a forum post about dice rolling techniques from Board Game Geek that had me in fits of laughter. Like so much information on the internet, a lot of it is complete and utter tosh, as was the case with this intriguing peice written by Nairb Attobas. Never the less, this doesn't mean that it isn't entertaining and worth of a read!

Nairb approaches the topic of dice rolling techniques as a serious judge of harmonious balance in the world of board games, having compiled a 'strategy article' (lol) analysing the many ways in which the dice can be rolled. He views strategic dice rolling as a serious affair while condemning those who might seek to improve their skill in practicing the 'dark arts' of dice rolling techniques.

The the hilarity ensues with entertaining descriptions of basic dice rolling techniques which range from the classic Lefty/Righty to the hopeful Vegas Roller where you blog on your dice, give them a good shake and roll them.

More energetic dice rolling techniques include the Hyper-Active Closed Fist Dominant (derivative of the Lefty/Righty), to the Bouncy-Bouncy and destructive Double-Handed Whammy. Whether any of your dice will actually stay on the table is anyone's guess!

Finally, we move on to the advanced techniques, possably produced by the finely honed martial arts skills of Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee which have been included here out of respect to the original poster.

Swaying Monkey dice rolling technique
Hold the dice in your non-dominant hand, shake the dice in your hand while leaning side to side, focus your mind on the internal conflict between the desires of your human nature and the bare necessities required for the sustainment of your physical body. Upon achieving a complete understanding of self, release the dice upon the table.

Off-Balance Badger dice rolling technique
Hold the dice in your non-dominant hand, bring it behind your back while thrusting out your chest and canting to the side, shake the dice while your hand is behind you, keeping your dominant hand out to the side, revolving your wrist in perfect circles until you throw the dice from your non-dominant hand over your shoulder onto the table.

Wounded Crane dice rolling technique
Hold the dice in your dominant hand, bring it behind your back, bring your non-dominant hand back to create a "cup" for the dice, shake the dice vigorously as you lean your head forward and twirl it around in a perfect circle; finally, catapult the dice between your legs and on to the table.

Belligerent Weasel dice rolling technique
Keeping your hands stretched out at full-length to either side, holding the dice in your dominant hand, throw and catch them with your non-dominant hand and then toss them back to your dominant hand. This must be done using only your wrists while keeping your arms absolutely still. The slightest amount of arm movement occurring outside the wrist or hands will result in failure. You must do this three times for every die that you need to throw, before finally unleashing them onto the table all at once. Any prematurely dropped dice will result in failure.

And for the true practisioners of the Dark Arts, there is the CLASSIFIED Cocky Chipmunk and Whiny Bow-Legged Octopus.

Nairb finishes with wise words of wisdom (lol), having broadened the reader's strategic options and provided greater insight into the classic techniques of dice rolling

Conclusion

While I hate dice rolling techniques, it's worth knowing some dice rolling techniques of your own to level the playing field and take away your opponent's unfair and dishonest advantage by fighting fire with fire.

But if you do this, it's better to develop your own personalised dice rolling techniques instead of copying the dice rolling techniques out of the text book. While my Dad was well aware of my certain family member's dice rolling techniques, we remained quite unaware of mine because my hand movements and dice hold did not look suspicious.

When developing your own dice rolling techniques, making them as flamboyant as possible is always fun, especially if you're an energetic Ork player! One guy I used to play often did a small jig before bowling his dice, while another often yelled "WOOSH, CRACK BOOM!" as he fired his missile launchers.

Finally, I do not condone the practice of dice rolling techniques. I feel that my role is to report the facts, provide resources and promote awareness. If you choose to play for fun or power game, then that is your choice.

Choosing a Warhammer 40K Army

2009-01-02T03:35:00.000-08:00

It’s the most frequent topic on any Warhammer 40K forum and it’s the hardest decision you’ll ever make.

Many players who ask about choosing an army online already play Warhammer 40K. So they’re looking for something new, rewarding and often challenging. Typically, they’re not entirely happy with their first choice for an army, having been defeated numerous times, grown envious of the close combat or long ranged abilities of a difference race and decided that their force isn’t for them. Alternatively, the rules may have changed or their carefully selected army has been ruined by a new Codex release.

Either way, it’s time for a new army. One that looks good, is enjoyable to play and kicks some serious bottom.

So how do you choose the right army for you?
There are 3 factors that attract a person to an army and you need all three of these to be positives before you part with your cash.

1: Win Games
While many players claim they’re not competitive, being able to win games is important (that’s why you’re reading this blog). If your army doesn’t have a hope of winning a game, you’ll lose heart quite quickly. If you are winning games –great, but winning games alone is not enough on its own.

2: Background
An army with a story that’s boring to the player can kill the war gaming experience dead. It doesn’t matter that your army of min/maxed Iron Warriors can wipe out your opponents in a matter of minutes if you’re not having fun doing it or getting involved in the story of the game. If you enjoy playing the villain or the hero of your army, you’re telling a story and enjoying the game whether you’re having a close battle, a slaughter or a desperate last stand.

3: Painting
Everyone has their limits when it comes to painting. Whether it’s struggling to paint a complicated scheme to a standard that you are happy with or if you just feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of miniatures you need to paint to produce a decent force. So try not to bite off more than you can chew, and if you have a lot to paint, stick to your standards and do a little at a time.

But which army is right for you?
Well, you may be surprised.

Take myself for example. I’m now a staunch Tau player, but I used to completely addicted to anything Chaos. But when my army of chaos undivided was ruined by the new codex release, the force wasn’t quite what it once was. I rebuilt the force around the new 5th edition codex, but my army seemed to be outgunned, outfought and outmaneuvered in every game, which made me lose heart in my legion of maniacal minions. So I sold the lot and started again with a clean slate.

The only problem was that nothing really grabbed my imagination in the way that Chaos did. Now normally I wouldn’t have touched the Tau with a barge pole, but when I was suddenly without an army, I had to borrow armies from my friends in order to play a game.

During this trial period, I tried out Eldar, Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Necrons, Orks, Tyranids and Tau against a variety of different races and opponents. After a few weeks, I found myself asking to borrow my friend’s Tau army time and time again.

There was something about the visual aesthetic and the look and feel of the army that really appealed to me, as well as the tactical application of focused firepower, mixed with mobility and a vulnerability to assault that made them a refreshing choice to playing Chaos. The Dawn of War Tau Camo paint scheme mod had just been released at this time, so I was keen to paint some Tau as well.

While the Tau background isn’t the best in the world, their visual aesthetics remind me of the anime inspired video games I played while growing up in the 80s and that has helped me to develop a story for them.

So eventually the Tau ticked all the boxes: I could win games with them, they had an appealing look/story and I enjoyed painting and converting them.

Go play games
There are plenty of resources online about selecting an army with all the pros and cons of each race. But the best way to find the right army for you is to take your current force out of the equation, then go and play games using your friends’ armies.

Just use their usual army list (or get them to write you one) and take their army out for a spin. Try this for a month, maybe two and you’ll have your heart set on a certain race in no time.

Army selection
There are plenty of dirty army lists floating around the internet if you know where to look. Although tournament players are now far more secretive about their army selections on the internet.

Generally, it’s best to put together what feels natural to you. Some of the toughest tournament armies I’ve fought against have been hand picked by an individual player’s preferences and not cut n’ pasted from the internet.

Once again, this comes down to practice. You can give a random player the most destructive tournament winning army list in the world and they will still get beaten. Either the army hasn’t been tailored to their playing style, the background doesn’t appeal to them, or they’re just not used to the mechanics of it. So they have to make teir own army from scratch in order to play well and improve.

I know I often talk about dice rolling in this blog, but dice and army selection do not win games. They can help a great deal, but it’s a player and his tactics that win game. Often the best tournament players pull some really bizarre things out of the hat. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But their armies are always built from regular play testing, tweaking and perfecting. I’m positive that when they build an army list, it very rarely works first time.

So keep playing, practicing and improving. Try different units, try different combinations and see how you get on. Most importantly, attend tournaments for more challenging games and see what other people are fielding and which rules they are exploiting to get the most our of their armies.

Don’t pick a fad army!
It’s been proven that the whacky armies are never here to stay. GW phased out the 13th company, the Lost & The Damned and I’d bet good money that one day Chaos Daemons will merge back into the Chaos Space Marine Codex in a future edition. Anyone who built a Feral Ork army, Kroot Mercenary army or Harlequin Troupe using rules released in Chapter Approved is similarly screwed when it comes to tournament play. So stick to normality when choosing your army instead of selecting a heavily themed list and you won’t find yourself struggling to sell off your old miniatures while trying to afford a brand new army.

Expect change
Games Workshop has clearly proven that no army is safe from changes brought about by a new edition of the rules or a new codex book. Even their beloved space marines aren’t safe!

So be prepared to buy a new force with every new edition of the 40K rules and every new codex release. If these two things coincide, then you’re very lucky. It may be a slow and painful process of change, but give it a few years and you’ll be the proud owner of an Apocalypse size army in no time.

Conclusion
While you may wish for more firepower, better movement or close combat capabilities, if you love the background of your army, enjoy painting it and can keep winning games with it, then you’ll always have fun fielding it.

While you could play the most disgusting game winning list ever made, you’ll quickly lose interest if you hate painting the army and don’t care about the background. So play test as many armies as you can before making your next big purchase and make sure that all three of the boxes are ticked.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a new Tau army to build and paint for my next tournament.

Space Wolves Drop Pod Army

2008-12-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas one and all. I hope you all got what you wanted, which is of course, little plastic Warhammer 40K dudes to play Warhammer 40k with!

As it's the festive season of giving, I'm going to give out some more information to help you Win at Warhammer 40K by answering a couple of emails that have come my way on the build up to Christmas.

The first Warhammer 40k email is from Joseph Redmond:
"Hi, I really enjoyed your articles on dice rolling techniques and the Deathwing army. So I have a question for you.

Do you have any comments, thoughts or tricks regarding the Space Wolves? I’ve been playing Space Wolves for little over a year now and I can’t seem to get a victory at the local gaming store.

Any help would be appreciated."

Hi Joe,
It's always great to here from an advid Space Wolves player. I love the army background and found that the true Space Wolves players are notorious drinkers and great fun to play against. They never really seem to care what they outcome of a game is, so long as there's mayhem. But I understand that no matter how much you may love your Space Wolves army, you need to win games once in a while (see next week's article for more on this!)

I had a flip through their codex recently and I have the following advice for you.

1) Hang in there until the next codex comes out!
Sorry to burst your bubble Joe, but you're still playing with a 3rd edition codex, which is horribly overpriced and extremely out of date. But don't fret, because Games Workshop has let slip that a new Space Wolves codex is in the works, but you may have to wait a year or two for it.

Obviously, that's no good to you now, so I suggest you optimise on the army's current strengths, which is brutal close quarters fighting (and beer guzzling!).

2) Space Wolves Drop Pod Army
To make the most of the Space Wolves close range nature and the countercharge rule, I suggest building a Drop Pod army.

Your warriors excel at close range confrontation thanks to their counter charge rule. In 5th edition everyone gets to countercharge, but the Space Wolves get +1 to their attacks during a counter charge.Space Wolves also have access to so many cheap (compared to the new marine codex) power weapons and powerfists, you'll mash through even the toughest units with all those attacks. So the best tactic is to drop pod your whole army (venerable dreadnought as well) and simply get stuck in!

I for one wouldn't dare charge a Space Wolves pack when they benefit from the new counter charge rules and tend to come with at least 1 power weapon and 1 power fist.

Melta guns and plasma guns will be standard issue for your Grey Hunter packs while Blood Claw packs are ideally suited for carrying a flamer due to their poor Ballistic Skill.

To back up your Space Wolves, it may be worth upgrading some of your Drop Pods to carry the Deathwing Launcher, especially with the increasing number of horde armies.

The only downside of the Space Marine Drop Pod army as discussed in the Deathwing Army entry, is that half of your army must arrive on the first turn. But when your force is specialised for getting up close and personal, is that such a bad thing? Probably not. Simply slam down in your enemies deployment zone and go on a rampage.

Due to your lack of long range heavy weapons, there's little else you can do. Long Fang packs are horribly overpriced and very small in number, making them extremely vulnerable. Space Marine tanks are also very expensive and when your troops can't carry heavy weapons or many special weapons, it's best that you stick to what you're good at and try to avoid a long ranged firefight.

Finally don't forget your squads of Space Wolf Scouts who can move on from the enemy board edge and shoot vehicles in the rear armour with their melta guns.

3) Benefits of the new Space Marine Codex
Fortunately for the Space Wolves, their 3rd edition codex states "See Space Marine codex" for nearly every entry. This means that you will get access to the 3+ invulnerable save thunder hammer and storm shield terminators, as well as the new Drop Pod rules, including Drop Pod Assault and the Deathwind Launcher.

Conclusion

I hope that gives you something to get your fangs into Joe. You won't be winning the Grand Tournament with your Space Wolves yet, but you'll cause plenty of carnage with them in the meantime.

-For Russ! For the Wolftime!

Scatter Dice Part 2 – Blasts

2008-12-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Having covered the art of Deep Striking with Natural Rolls and even Practiced Rolls, this week we’ll look at blast weapons and how the Scatter Dice can make them better than ever.

If you missed the tutorial on how to make a Practiced Roll with your Scatter Dice, you can find it HERE. As I’ve said before, I don’t condone this practice, but it’s worth giving it ago, because you will be pleased/shocked just how easy it is to do!

Play the odds
As previously discussed, the Scatter Dice gives you a 1 in 3 chance of hitting, which helps to level the playing field for elite armies and troop hordes. So whether you’re a Ballistic Skill 4 Space Marine Devastator with a missile launcher or a Ballistic Skill 2 Tyranid Warrior with a deathspitter, you’ve got a 1 in 3 chance of hitting your target with a blast weapon. It really is no wonder that so many Ork players now field a unit of 2 killa kans with the dreaded Grotzooka!

Which blast weapons are best?
Well, now that you’re more likely to hit should your shot go astray, all blast weapons are a great choice for. Well, within the realms of probability and that’s providing you’re not a whiz at rolling a HIT on the Scatter Dice yet.

Submunition shots from a Tau railgun aren’t as accurate, but they are more reliable. Eldar Fire Prisms are a better choice than ever. Their small S9 focused shot is likely to hit an enemy tank with its minimal scatter and the same goes for its large blast shot which benefits from the new rules in the same way as the Tau Hammerhead.

Plasma cannons have really caught my eye in 5th edition. Okay, you still have to roll to see if they overheat, but their cost seems justified, because you’re extremely likely to hit some Space Marine Terminators.

To dispel any speculation, let’s have a look at the stats for blast weapons scattering when related to Ballistic Skill.

We roll 2D6 for the scatter and minus the ballistic skill of the firer. The average roll on 2D6 is 7 and the maximum roll is 12.

What about hitting lone models?
Remember that the small blast template has a 3” diameter (1.5” radius)
Meanwhile the large blast template has a 6” diameter (3” radius)

So if you’re trying to be precise with your blast weapon fire, the small blast template gives you an extra 1.5” to hit the target while the large blast template gives you 3” of forgiveness. Let’s have a look at those scatter distance again, but with the extra inches from the blast templates included:

Small Blast

Big Blast

So as you can see, blast weapons have a very high probability of hitting, even when scattering.

So does this mean that a Grot with one eye can hit something?
Simply put –yes! Blast weapons are now exceptionally reliable weapons. You start with a 1 in 3 chance of hitting (which is like rolling a D6 to hit on 5+) and even if you fail that roll, the chances of hitting even a small clump of troops is very high. So whatever your troops Ballistic Skill, whatever you’re firing, if it has a blast, you may not hit more than 1 models, but the chances of actually hitting something are incredibly high. Which brings me on to…

ORDNANCE
Now that we’ve established that blast weapons are almost always going to hit something, Ordnance has become more devastating that ever. Due to the ‘true line of sight’ in 5th edition, the battlefield has opened up for Ordnance weapons. Not only does an Imperial Guard Leman Russ battle tank tower above terrain pieces, it’s boasts a battle cannon with 72” range that’s capable of blowing big holes in your army.

As shown above, a Leman Russ battle tank has a Ballistic Skill of 3, so the average scatter will be 4 and if you’re trying to be accurate (like sniping a lone character), when you take the blast radius into account, the average scatter to hit your target is 1. And a Strength 8, AP3 hit with pinning isn’t pleasant for anybody.

Combine Ordnance weapons with the Scatter Dice Practice Rolling described earlier and any army that relies on its 3+ armour save will be blown away.

Personally, I dread encountering a well practiced player fielding the new Space Marine Chapter Master with Orbital Bombardment. A Strength 10, AP1 ordnance blast isn’t good for anybody. Scheptics will say it’s unreliable as a one shot weapon and that it only has a 1 in 3 chance of striking, while confident players and Practiced Rollers are almost certain to give it a go. Say goodbye to your Terminators.

Conclusion

Blast weapons are so versatile at taking out tanks and troops with a choice of firing modes, or just a single devastating high strength shot, making them incredibly valuable in 5th edition for every army. The more blast weapons you can get, the better, which gives hordes a distinct advantage over small, elite armies.

While they may not be 100% accurate, they’re always likely to hit something. So if you’re relying on your expensive lascannons, why not try the cheaper missile launcher alternative and see what a difference more blast weapons in your army can make?

Scatter Dice Part 1 – Deep Striking

2008-12-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

Rolling on from last week’s article about the Natural and Practiced disciplines of dice throwing, I’m going to discuss the single most manipulated dice in Warhammer 40K - the Scatter Dice.

In order to better illustrate the topics, tricks and tactics based around throwing the scatter dice, I’m going to have to explain in detail how to make a Practiced Roll.

Now, before I go into details, I’m going to once again state very clearly that I do not condone the discipline of Practiced Rolling.

Everyone go find your scatter dice
You can see that is has 6 sides, like a regular D6. 4 of those sides are arrows. 2 of them are HIT.
This tells us that there is a 1 in 3 chance of rolling a HIT.
However, if you 'bowl' the dice straight, you can eliminate 2 of the sides.
So, make sure that the HIT is facing upwards and bowl the dice perfectly forward. By eliminating 2 of the sides with arrows on, you have just effectively crated a 4 sided dice with 2 of those sides showing a HIT. You now have a 1 in 2 chance of getting a HIT.
Learn to roll the dice just right, with just the right amount of force and you can pretty much guarantee HIT every time.

Now that I’ve done the unspeakable by explaining exactly how to cheat, let’s apply this fresh knowledge of yours to the design of the game itself. You may be surprised!

Deep striking with a little common sense
Anyone who’s into their Mathhammer will tell you how risky Deep Striking is, but even so, everyone still does it.

When you look at the odds, you can clearly see that it’s wildly unpredictable, yet Games Workshop has designed a large number of armies purely around this method of mid game deployment from Elysian Drop Troops to Deathwing Terminators. Space Marine drop pod armies also fall into this category, but due to the protection of the drop pods, they’re far less likely to scatter and splatter.

As an example, let’s say that a squad of 2 Chaos Space Marine Obliterators are going to Deep Strike next to unit of 10 Space Marines.

The Scatter Dice has a 1 in 3 chance of rolling a HIT and a 2 in 3 chance of rolling an Arrow.
The 2D6 rolled at the same time will produce a 7 on average as previously discussed.

So by probability, you should expect your squad of Deep Striking Obliterators to scatter off target by 6 to 8 inches.

Of course, if you can master your Practice Roll with the Scatter Dice to produce a HIT every time, Deep Striking is no longer a gamble for a tactical advantage, but a precise delivery of your troops to eliminate any enemy unit or tank in one easy action.

Negative Scatter
Alternatively, you can maximise on probability.
Pick up your Scatter Dice again and hold it in front of you with an Arrow at the top and a HIT either side. You can now see that if you use the bowling action mentioned earlier, you can guarantee an Arrow. By eliminating the 2 sides with a HIT, you are left with 4 sides, all with an Arrow pointing in the same direction.

This is potentially a little more honest than using your Practiced Rolling to get a HIT because you’re playing with the odds, even if you are making a Practiced Roll to achieve it. However, let’s not forget that normal rolling and Natural Rolling is likely to produce this result as well.

So let’s Deep Strike those 2 Chaos Marine Obliterators again and while we’re at it, we’ll target their landing zone in the middle of the 10 man Space Marine squad.

Yes, I said right in the middle of the Space Marine squad, so if you roll a HIT, your squad of Obliterators with splatter on an enemy unit.

Ah, but using probability or the Practiced Roll mentioned above, an Arrow is rolled and the unit scatters 2D6, rolling 6, 7 or 8 on average, clearing the Space Marine squad and landing just a few inches away, giving you the perfect opportunity to twin linked flamer, plasma or melta gun the enemy. The same theory works for tanks, but not Land Raiders due to their enormous size.

Conclusion

Time and time again I look at the rules of Warhammer 40K, the probability related to them and how they don’t make sense on paper. Obviously, this is why Games Workshop has a number of play testers to help them develop their systems based around high Natural Rolling and the perception that dice rolling is a skill.

So keep playing, develop your Natural Rolling and if you like, give the Practiced Rolling with the Scatter Dice a try.

Next week I look at how to make the most of the Scatter Dice with the abundance of blast weapons in Warhammer 40K 5th edition.

Dice Rolling 101

2008-12-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

Having covered Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling while throwing Mathhammer out of the window, I feel it’s time that I explained how these work in greater depth.

You see, due to its rather radical nature, How to Win at Warhammer 40K has received some less than complimentary messages regarding dice rolling, namely the theories of Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling.

So to convince the non-believers and satisfy the curious, I will explain how to develop your Natural Rolling abilities and even give you a precise example of a Practiced Roll!

I still don’t condone Practiced Rolling and after reading this article you’ll no doubt see why a Space Marine Chapter Master with orbital bombardment has become such a popular choice amongst tournament players.

Definitions and differences
Despite their intentions, both Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling could be considered the same thing.

Your Natural Rolling is developed by picking up the dice and rolling them without any intention. However, the human brain is a very versatile learning mechanism.

Have you ever picked up a single dice, rolled it and got a 6? Pick up that dice again and remembering how you rolled it and which number was facing upwards, make that same rolling action with the same application of strength, and chances are, you'll get another 6.

Your brain has quickly learnt and remembered (for a short space of time) how to roll a 6 consistently.

So in theory, if you always roll your dice the same way, you can produce higher numbers...providing that the numbers facing upwards in your palm are suitable. For example if you find having a 6 facing upwards helps you to generate a 6, dice with a 1 facing upwards will generate a 1, which isn't so favourable.

Natural Rolling is the application of this unconsciously remembered technique. Practiced Rolling (where you've trained yourself to roll that 6 consistently with a clear awareness of what you're doing) is the conscious application of the technique, which many consider to be cheating.

Heck, this is why they invented dice shakers in gambling to stop people from making Practiced Rolls and cheating, or even by being lucky with high Natural Rolling.

The fewer dice rolled, the better
Natural Rolling and Practiced Rolling benefit from the same situations, because consciously or unconsciously, they are the same dice rolling technique. Natural Rolling is unconscious, with honest intentions and is developed by training and repeated game play while Practiced Rolling is conscious, deceitful and is often developed by practice, repetition and private training.

Both disciplines of dice rolling benefit from the same mantra: The fewer dice rolled, the better.

Following the principle of your roll producing the same number as the facing of the dice in your palm, it’s easier to get 1 dice facing upright in the palm that it is with 5 dice. Ok, hold your palm out with 5 dice in and give it a little jiggle until they’re mostly high numbers. The result? You’ll mostly roll high numbers on those 5 dice.

To make sure you always roll as few dice as possible it’s best to have a single set of dice with you. Many players like having lots of multicoloured dice. Say black for their bolt guns, white for the missile launcher and red for their plasma gun so they can roll them altogether at the same time. Great for speed play, but not for beating the odds.

The best practice I’ve seen to maximise Natural Rolling, and even take advantage of opportunities for Practiced Rolling is to have a select few dice. One guy I know has 6 Las Vegas dice. The beauty of this is that due to their transparency and world wide renown, Vegas dice are seen as completely honest, no matter how suspect your dice rolling may be…unless you’re in a casino of course.

High rolling to hit
Based around the mantra of ‘the fewer dice rolled, the better’ I’m going to give you a prime example of a unit that benefits from this and typically blows you away.

A two-man Tau Battlesuit team consisting of a:
Battlesuit team leader with plasma rifle, missile pod, multi tracker and targeting array
Battlesuit with plasma rifle, missile pod, multi tracker

Our player has 1 set of dice for all uses, which means he will have to roll separately for each weapon and each model in this unit.

This unit puts out 2 plasma shots and 4 missile shots at long range.
The battlesuit team leader hits on 3+ due to the targeting array.
The regular battlesuit hits on 4+.

Using a single set of dice, the player rolls 1 dice for the leader’s plasma rifle, 2 dice for the missile pod. Then rolls 1 dice for the battlesuit’s plasma rifle, then 2 dice for the missile pod. So that’s 4 separate dice rolls.

Rolling a single dice is quite easy to manipulate with a Practiced Roll and the odds increase if your Natural Rolling is pretty good. While not as simple, the same goes for the 2 missile pod shots. And if the dice facings aren’t favourable while upturned in your palm, give them a quick jiggle and hope that they are. Too much jiggling and even the most casual opponent will wonder what the hell you’re doing.

Once again, I don’t condone this (you cheating git!), I just like to make people aware of what their opponents might be up to. So develop your Natural Rolling by playing regularly instead.

Passing more saves
Thanks to the new wound allocation system in Warhammer 40K fifth edition, it’s easier to pass your armour saves than ever before with a developed Natural Roll or a well trained Practiced Roll. Chances are you’ll never have to roll more than 2 dice for a model with a special or heavy weapon, so you should never find your army lacking in firepower until a squad is on the verge of being wiped out.

In fact, the new wound allocation system makes units of Space Marine Terminators tougher than ever, especially when joined by an independent character to help spread the wounds around.

The immortal tank
One guy I play has mastered passing a 4+ cover save on a single dice. Whether he’s making a Natural Roll or a Practiced Roll is hard to say because manipulating a single dice is so easy whether it’s conscious or unconscious. This means that whenever a rail gun, bright lance or lascannon comes his way, it very rarely had an effect. And when he’s fielding a mechanized Tau army with disruption pods, the only thing that can take him out is getting up close with a melta gun. Sadly, there’s nothing that can save you from one of these.

Conclusion

Coming back to my first post, you can now see why dice rolling is often perceived as a skill in many games, even if that skill can also condemned as cheating.

“Dice rolling does not involve skill or experience in any way and nor can it be manipulated to do so without cheating and using techniques which are outlawed in casinos and would get you kicked out of a tournament if caught doing so.” –Angry Anonymous Poster

This blog focuses on Natural Rolling, probability, tournament tactics and enjoying the game at a competitive level while exposing tricks and cheats that the newcomer to the tourney circuit will need to be aware of and watch out for.

Of course, you can't prove that your opponent is making Practiced Rolls, so now is not the time to embark on a witch hunt! But it doesn't mean that you can't outplay your opponent, defeat them with superior tactics and improve your Natural Rolling instead.

At the end of the day, it’s your choice if you choose to play fair, improve your Natural Rolling or go for the competitive edge at all costs and master your Practiced Rolling.

But one thing that never seems to fail, is a close range melta gun.

This article has run on a little longer than I expected, so be sure to log in next week as I show you exactly how to make a Practiced Roll with the single most manipulated dice in Warhammer 40K and the common tactics based around it.

Deathwing Army at the UK Warhammer 40K Grand Tournament

2008-11-27T22:44:00.000-08:00

I was set to take my Tau to the Warhammer 40K Grand Tournament at Warhammer World this year, but they weren’t painted in time. So, throwing in the competitive towel, I asked to borrow my friend’s Deathwing army and play for fun.

Now in 4th edition, the Deathwing weren’t a particularly competitive army due to their lack of speed and heavy weapons. But under 5th edition, the story, it turns out, is quite different and it’s all thanks to the much overlooked Deathwing Assault.

In fact, it was this simple rule that helped to turn a non competitive force into something quite fierce and bamboozled my opponents every time it came to deployment. So this week I’m going to talk about the tactics behind Deathwing Assault and what makes it so effective.

1,500pts Deathwing Army

Belial with storm bolter and master crafted power sword
+5 terminators, assault cannon, chain fist

Librarian with terminator armour and Hellfire and Force Barrier
+5 terminators, assault cannon, chain fist

5 terminators, assault cannon, chain fist
5 terminators, cyclone
5 terminators, cyclone

I chose to take an army entirely of terminators in order to make the most of Deathwing Assault. Every unit was armed with as many storm bolters as possible in order to maximise my first turn of firepower while the power fists and chain fists would provide the pummeling needed for assaults.

Deathwing Assault – Better than Drop Pod Assault
While many Warhammer 40K fans a getting riled up over the new marine codex trampling over the Dark Angels, things couldn’t be further from the truth.

Deathwing Assault gives you the element of surprise, simply because you can choose to stay in reserve or set up as normal and that makes you unpredictable, unlike Drop Pod Assault, which dictates that half of your drop pods must arrive on turn 1.

Make him go first
You roll off for table edge/deployment/first turn and you win the roll. You then let him choose where to deploy and take the first turn.

The big question in your opponent’s mind is “Will you Deathwing Assault or set up as normal?” Simply put, you can react perfectly to whatever deployment he chooses.

So if he chooses to keep everything in reserve, you then set up your whole army and eliminate a unit at a time as his army comes on to the table piecemeal.

If he chooses to deploy everything on the table, you can use Deathwing Assault to deep strike in and get the first round of firing.

It’s a lose/lose situation for your opponent. He’s going to get shot no matter what he does.

He makes you go first
Typically, any player worth his salt will mimic your deployment if he wins the roll off and makes you set up first. Should you choose to Deathwing Assault, then he’ll keep everything in reserve. If you set up all of your army, then he will set up all of his army.

In this situation, it’s best to put your whole army down on the table. After all, you’ve deployed first, so you will get the first turn. Unless your opponent rolls a 6 to seize the initiative, but it’s a risk you’ll have to take. The point is, you are certain to get the first volley of fire in and to the Deathwing, getting to shoot first is the most important part of the game.

Tactical deep striking
The way Deathwing assault works is by arriving where least expected, unleashing torrents of firepower, then forming a foothold until reinforcements arrive. This last part is debatable. Sometimes you need to sit on objectives or eliminate key threats until you get more men on the table and sometimes your first wave rampages through the enemy and the reinforcements add to the army’s momentum.

My army was designed around this philosophy with 5 squads in total. Deathwing Assault states that half of your squads ‘rounded up’ enter play on the first turn. So I chose 3 squads, all armed with assault cannons, with 2 of them joined by my characters for the extra wounds and extra shots. Meanwhile the 2 squads with cyclone missile launchers would wait in reserve to plug any gaps in my attack line or defensive castle formation and lend some added support with frag or krak missiles.

Target Priority
When you’re in a target rich environment, where your terminators Deathwing Assault and what they shoot is extremely important.

During the tournament I was able to beat a Tau army in a strait up firefight. Sounds crazy, I know, but it all came down to target priority. Namely shooting at the immediate threats, followed by the softer targets.

While a Deathwing Terminator squad may have a 2+ armour save with a 1 in 6 chance of failure, it’s still pretty poor odds when you consider how much firepower will be coming their way. So you need to consistently roll above the odds with your Natural Rolling (which is often easier said than done) or make sure large portions of the enemy unable to shoot at you –usually by shooting them first during the Deathwing Assault.

Battle suits with plasma guns were first on the priority list because they ignore terminator armour, followed by fire warrior squads who could put out a fair number of high strength shots and easily inflict a few wounds between them.

Things that I couldn’t hurt easily (like vehicles) had to be ignored until later. Although, in another game, I was able to Deathwing Assault right behind the enemy army and shoot 2 vehicles in the rear armour.

Deep Striking requires some careful planning and forgiveness on your part. You will get used to it after a few games and sometimes you have to just go for it and pray the Scatter Dice is with you (more on this next week!). So while you may not always be able to land behind the enemy vehicles and shoot at their vulnerable rear armour, it’s best to go with your common sense, prioritise your targets and make sure your terminators have 7” to scatter in most directions to guarantee a safe landing.

Deathwing Assault Army – What to Take?

Belial
You have to take him, but is he really so bad? Well, he’s cheaper than a captain equivalent in the new Space Marine Codex at least. He also gives you access to a terminator apothecary and terminator standard bearer.

As my army was focused on shooting, the standard bearer wasn’t an option. The apothecary could have been very useful, but I couldn’t find the points to field him.

Arming Belial is always a topic of hot debate. While the majority of players favour thunder hammers and lightning claws, I feel that the storm bolter and sword of secrets is the best combination in support of the Deathwing squad he is attached to. Those extra 2 storm bolter shots make a big difference while the addition of an Initiative 5 power weapon (with 1 reroll for master crafted) backed up by plenty of attacks will deter many charges and help you to win assaults.

Librarian
You have to take Belial, but why take a Librarian over a Chaplain?
Well for Deathwing, the Librarian is an essential purchase. Not only will his psychic hood help you to stop all the horrible powers that can decimate a terminator squad in 1 shot (wind of chaos springs to mind), but the Force Barrier power makes him very tough to take down.

So if the squad he is attached to gets low on numbers, you can take a lascannon hit on your Librarian. Simply use the Force Barrier power to deflect the shot, because you have an 83% chance of passing the Psychic test. It’s a little risky, so it’s best to use it when numbers are low.

Meanwhile, Hellfire is a glorified flamer that’s random and unpredictable. Don’t ever think for a second that you’re going to kill anything but infantry with it. If you roll high Strength and low AP, it’s a bonus.

Like Belial, attach the Librarian to a Deathwing terminator squad for the extra shots and Initiative 5 power weapon attacks. He may even be able to Instant Kill something with his force weapon.

Deathwing Terminator Squads
While Deathwing terminators have a huge range of options available, the storm bolter and power fist is the strongest combination, simply because you need every shot you can get for the Deathwing Assault. Don’t be tempted to give your sergeants any assault weapon upgrades. Rubbish as the power sword may be by comparison to the power fist, the Initiative 4 attacks make a big difference, especially when it comes to casualty removal because the seargeant has already attacked due to his higher Initiative. So it's best to take as many wounds as possible on the sergeant, especially if it's from a power weapon. This will allow more of your power fist armed terminators in the squad to get their full attacks in.

It’s a simple thing, but it is so easily overlooked.

Dreadnoughts and Land Raiders
Don’t use land raiders and don’t use dreadnoughts, because you need all the points you can muster for as many terminators as possible and make the most of Deathwing Assault. And the fact that they’re fearless means that your opponent will have to kill every single one of them to try to claim an objective, or even attempt to stop the relentless mob of armoured super humans from reaching his squishy squads.

1,500pts games and 1750pts games
In reference to forming a foothold, remember that only half of your terminators (rounding up) arrive on the 1st turn. So, in 1500pts games, that’s 3 squads. In 1750pts games, that’s 3 squads. And this is where a problem lies. In a 1750pts game, your 3 squads of terminators are now trying to hold off and extra 250pts of your opponent’s army until the next 3 units arrive, which I don’t believe is very likely. Although as a 1,000pts or 1,500pts force, Deathwing are a solid choice.

However, salvation may be at hand. Games Workshop announced at the UK Grand Tournament that they would be globally standardising all of their tournaments. That’s nothing new for the UK or Europe, but the US could soon find their tournament armies cut back from 1750pts to 1500pts, making the Deathwing Assault army a more viable option.

Conclusion

You’re not going to win any tournaments with a Deathwing army, but they can be competitive if you play them right and make the most of Deathwing Assault.

Deathwing are an excellent army for anyone looking for fun or competitive play. They’re also a great choice for beginners who are grasping the basics of Warhammer 40K simply because they can move and shoot, shoot and fight, and soak up lots of firepower. And for veteran players they’re a nice, casual, alternative to their current army. Plus they fit in a small carry case.

When you consider that the list I ran costs £145 RRP to buy, they’re actually quite a bargain for a whole army when you think about it.

Hell, I’m going to just go buy it from Wayland Games for £110 right now. Then I’ve got something to paint over Christmas.

It's All Relative

2008-11-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

Warhammer 40K can play tricks on the mind. In fact, it’s partly how the game is so awesome, because perception can make all the difference, generating a high Natural Roll, confidence in your tactical decisions and even philosophy about your army and playing style as a whole.

It’s this perception of units and their abilities that often blinds us to probability. We’ll delve into Mathhammer briefly this week, but only to point out the similarity in the performance of completely different units in particular situations. I’ll leave you to work out the maths, go on blind faith or continue developing your Natural Rolling (or Practiced Rolling if you’re that way inclined).

So, like the title says, it’s all relative (or probable) and this article could answer why your elite warriors ALWAYS seem to die to a couple of grots!

When the Going Gets Tough
I was observing while two friends were involved in a close fought battle last weekend. Having absorbed a torrent of fire from an entire Tau army, 2 remaining Space Marine terminators charged into close combat with a squad of 10 fire warriors having killed 2 from shooting.

Firewarriors have Weapon Skill 3, Strength 3, Initiative 2 and a 4+ armour save.Terminators have Weapon Skill 4, Strength 8, Initiative 1 (powerfists) and a 2+ armour save.

Because the 10 fire warriors have a higher initiative, they go first with their 10 attacks.
They hit on 4+ and wound on 5+, inflicting on average 5 hits and 2 wounds.
Both wounds were easily saved on a 2+.
A good roll of thumb is to remember that terminators should fail 1 in 6 armour saves on average.

The 2 terminators retaliated with 6 attacks (because they charged).
They hit on 3+ and kill on 2+ with their powerfists, inflicting on average 4 hits and 3 kills, resulting in 3 dead fire warriors.

The Tau now have to take a morale check using their Leadership of 8, minus 3 for their casualties, giving them a Leadership value of 5, which, if you read last week’s article about leadership tests, is very bad! They break and fall back 7” as terminators cannot making sweeping advance.

In the Tau player’s turn, the squad regroups in order to rapid fire their pulse rifles at the 2 terminators. 7 fire warriors, 14 shots, 7 hits, 4 wounds.

The terminators should statistically fail 1 save, but in this instance, the player rolled below the odds and both terminators were killed.

So what did that all mean?
Having survived the close combat and killed the terminators, the Tau player (who plays Eldar, but was borrowing a friend’s army for today) suddenly declared:

”I knew I could beat the terminators because I thought of my firewarriors as Eldar Dire Avengers!”

So is he blind to the odds and probability of the game and going on pure faith? Or is there something relevant in the probability of both units in this situation?

Eldar Dire Avengers & Tau Fire Warriors
Here’s a clean cut comparison in all of the situations detailed above:
1) hitting terminators in close combat
2) passing a morale check
3) shooting terminators at close range

Dire Avenger Stat Line:
WS4, BS4, S3, T4, I5, A1, LD9 SV4+

Tau Fire Warriors Sat Line (with team leader for Leadership 8):
WS2, BS3, S3, T3, I2, A1, LD8 SV4+

Hitting Terminators in close combat
10 Tau Fire Warriors attack Space Marine Terminators
10 attacks, hitting on 4+ and wounding on 5+ produces 2 wounds

10 Eldar Dire Avengers attack Space Marine Terminators
10 attacks, hitting on 4+ and wounding on 5+ produces 2 wounds

Result = Equal

Passing the morale check
Having sustained 3 casualties, the Dire Avengers would have their Leadership of 9 reduced to 6, while the Fire Warriors have their Leadership of 8 reduced to 5.
There’s quite a big difference in probability here and if the Terminators were able to making a Sweeping Advance, the fire warriors would almost certainly be dead, while the Dire Avengers would comfortably skip awat with their whopping Initiative of 5.

Result = big advantage to Dire Avengers

Shooting terminators at close range
Having fallen back and regrouped, both units open fire on the Terminators at close range. We shan’t discuss the Dire Avenger’s blade storm ability, as this would make our Dire Avenger unit considerably more expensive than the Fire Warrior team we are comparing them to.

10 Tau Fire Warriors rapid fire their pulse rifles at the Space Marine Terminators20 shots, hitting on 4+ and wounding on 3+ produces 10 hits and 7 wounds on average.

10 Eldar Dire Avengers fire their shuriken catapults at the Space Marine Terminators20 shots, hitting on 3+ and wounding on 4+ produces 13 hits and 7 wounds on average.

Result = Equal

Conclusion
Tau Fire Warriors are practically as good as Dire Avengers. Well, given the right circumstances of course!

It’s also interesting to see how elite units seem to suffer in the game. By practically forcing everyone down to the same level, it benefits tactical army builders to take as many troops as possible when facing elite armies or units. The again, it’s wise to invest in a good dose of plasma to guarantee your kills against a skillful Natural Roller. As ever, I leave the decision making to you.

So, look out for these similarities in the game and instead of a team of fire warriors, you could effectively have a squad of dire avengers kicking ass given the right situations.

Run Away!

2008-11-16T01:11:00.001-08:00

It might be a bit of a cop out for more bloodthirsty players, but I’ve always loved watching my opponent’s troops turn tail and flee straight off the board.

So let’s take a look at break tests in Warhammer 40K caused by shooting: Surviving them, inflicting them and making the enemy run crying like a little girl.

Blow them off
The primary aim of shooting enemy troops is to kill them, but there are many opportune moments in the game when you can easily inflict 25% casualties and force a morale check, which could send your opponent’s ‘glory boys’ running off the board.Best of all, you can do this from Turn 1.

However, you should never design an army around the principal of forcing leadership tests and making the enemy run away (although the new Dark Eldar codex could prove me wrong), but it helps to spot the opportunities when you can take advantage of a failed morale check.

Tau Broadsides - Usually there’s 2 in the squad, both with the Slow & Purposeful upgrade. One is typically upgraded to a leader with 2 shield drones and a bonding knife.

Because of their vulnerability to assault, Broadsides are almost always placed close to the table edge and rarely ever leave the deployment zone, making them prime targets for your ‘boo tactics’.

25% casualties are counted by the number of models in a squad, not the number of wounds. So, you need to remove 1 of the shield drones with your shooting.

While Broadsides can be tough cookies to inflict wounds on due to their 2+ armour save, 4+ invulnerable save on the drones and high Natural Rolling abilities of experienced players, killing a single shield drone could see the unit fleeing off the board. This makes them prime targets for Turn 1 firepower.

While their leadership of 8 gives them a 72% pass rate probability, I’ve seen broadsides fail their first morale test and flee straight off the board on so many occasions, it’s a tactic you can regularly rely on.

There are many other units in the game that suffer from this same problem (and you will find your favourites to shoot at). They key to this tactic is to identify troops who are deployed close to the board edge and will be easy to inflict 25% casualties on.

Back in 4th edition, drop podding a space marine Librarian into the middle of a Tau army and casting ‘Fear of the Darkness’ used to be a beautiful sight as all enemy units within 12” (and that’s a big area) would have to take a morale check at -2 to their leadership. This typically resulted in almost two thirds of the Tau army fleeing off the table, giving the space marine player a quick victory, even if the Librarian in question often ended up kissing the business end of a railgun in the following turn.

Passing Leadership Tests
Time for some Mathhammer to illustrate the comforts and discomforts of high and low leadership values. I know I normally shun Mathhammer due to the developed Natural Rolling of my regular opponents, but the probability of 2D6 rolls are too strong to be ignored.

Table 2: Probability of a particular outcome on 2d6
Result	Out of 36	Probability	Cumulative prob1ability
2	1	2.78%	2.78%
3	2	5.56%	8.33%
4	3	8.33%	16.67%
5	4	11.11%	27.78%
6	5	13.89	41.67%
7	6	16.67%	58.33%
8	5	13.89%	72.22%
9	4	11.11%	83.33%
10	3	8.33%	91.67%
11	2	5.56%	97.22%
12	1	2.78%	100.00%

The average trooper in Warhammer 40K has a leadership value of 7, which is pretty damn good as 7 is the most likely number on 2D6, closely followed by 6 and 8.

As 6, 7 and 8 are generally the highest scoring numbers, anything with a leadership of 5 or below is almost guaranteed to fail (watch those Gretchin run!), while anything with a leadership of 9 or 10 gives little extra benefit beyond a leadership of 8, although the extra safety net is comforting.

The leadership values of Warhammer 40K are even more relevant now due to the removal of negative modifiers from 5th edition (close combat aside).

Natural Rolling and leadership
If you’ve developed your Natural Rolling, you may be able to consistently produce low results as well as high results. Although, if you’re a consistently high Natural Roller, I strongly suggest fielding fearless armies where possible. This would explain why many tournament players favour Tyranids, Orks and Space Marines due to their Hive Mind, Mob Rule or Battle Tactics.

As discussed in an earlier article, rolling your dice is very much like your golf swing. If you’re having a bad day or don’t feel particularly confident, then your performance will suffer and if you feel fantastic, your rolls will reflect this.

While psychological types will explain that your ‘perception’ of the dice results will be consistent with your mood regardless of which numbers come up, I’ve seen too many Tau Broadsides leg it straight off the board because the player was put on the spot and nervous.

Conclusion
Spot the opportunities to easily inflict 25% casualties on a vital unit and make your opponent sweat as he rolls for his break test, especially if he’s a consistently high Natural Roller.

Don’t rely on breaking the enemy to win you the game. Warhammer 40K 5th edition is more aggressive than ever and relies on killing things to achieve a solid victory…until turn 4 when you start thinking about objectives.

Finally, don’t even bother trying these tactics on Orks or Tyranids. Any Tyranid player worth his biomass will make sure his Synapse Creatures are coordinating his army while Orks will be deep into your deployment zone by the time they start taking morale tests.

Playing Mathhammer

2008-11-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Mathhammer” banded about the forums. But what is it? Mathhammer is when someone has sat down and worked out the average probability of squadron A firing at squadron B to see how many of them get hit, take wounds and fail their armour saves. Sounds great doesn’t it?

Not entirely. Due to the Natural Rolling (and even Practiced Rolling) abilities of regular players, statistics and probability have a tendency to go out of the window. The more someone plays, the more likely his Natural Rolling will be high and therefore pass a greater proportion of armour saves. In a competitive setting failing 1 in 3 space marine power armour saves is often seen as disastrous, even if it is correct in terms of probability.

Putting Mathhammer to the test
Here’s an example of some simple Mathhammer. I won’t go into percentages of probability (because it’s long and boring), so I’ll keep things roughly average to illustrate my point:

5 chaos marines in Squadron A rapid fire on 5 space marines in Squadron B
.That’s 10 shots, hitting on roll of 3+, which means 2 in 3 shots will hit.
Roughly 6 of those shots hit.
These shots then need roll of 4+ to wound, which means 1 in 2 hits will wound.
3 of those hits wound.
The space marine player needs to make 3 of his armour saves on a roll of 3+, which means 2 in 3 rolls will save.

Summary: It takes 10 bolter shots to kill 1 space marine.
Not clear? Then take a lesson in probability.

The space marine player rolls his 3 dice and passes all of his armour saves. Ah yes, the beauty of Natural Rolling or perhaps even Practiced Rolling. But you can never be sure, and this is no time for a witch hunt!

The Reality of Mathhammer
Now it’s space marine Squadron B’s turn and aren’t you in for a shock!
This well seasoned player rapid fires you in return, rolling above average, inflicting 8 hits and 6 wounds! What do you do now? Well, you roll 6 armour saves and pray you don’t fail 2 of them.

Ok, that’s a bit of a cruel example, but it happens.

Don’t Think About It
When making your tactical decisions, go with your logic and not a preconfigured set of statistics. I went through a bit of a Mathhammer fixation one time and it really ruined the game for me. I swear my Natural Rolling was worse because of it while I focused my attentions on how well my opponent was rolling instead of making tactical decisions to out play him regardless of the odds.

So when it comes to Mathhammer, it pays to be ignorant of the facts and just play the game with a little common sense…and practice your Natural Rolling.

Roll the dice, Play the game

2008-11-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the scene from Iron Man when Tony Stark is playing craps in a Casino?He gets the hot babe at his side to blow on the dice before making a roll, then prays for 11 to turn up.

Why? Because dice rolling is fantastically superstitious in gambling, backgammon, family games of Monopoly and even Warhammer 40,000.

You often see people putting real effort into their dice rolls, shouting “Come on!” as they cast the die, then the disappointment when they fail to roll 11 or higher on 2D6. It’s hardly surprising as most people can’t see the difference between rolling a 7 or a 12. If you don’t, then you need a lesson in probability.

It’s commonly accepted that sheer passion and willpower will create a good result, even when rolling completely against the odds. So when everyone’s routing for you to roll high and you pull it off, then you’re a hero.

Let’s bring that ‘skill’ to the tabletop in a game of Warhammer 40,000.And let’s say that you have the skill to roll a 6 anytime you want. After all, dice rolling is commonly accepted as a skill.

So when you can consistently roll above the odds, that gives you an advantage over even the most tactically minded players who are rolling average.

Is training your dice rolling wrong?
Potentially yes, as it’s giving you an advantage over another player. But is it any different to training your golf swing for example? Someone who plays golf regularly will have a better swing than a newbie, so why should it be any different with dice rolling in a tabletop war game?

Choosing your dice
There are lots of die on the market from small Games Workshop dice (15mm) to Vegas dice and other chunky alternatives (22mm and up).

Some players prefer 15mm dice while others favour 22mm dice. (One mathematician even did a report to show that flat sided dice rolled higher than dice with rounded edges.) It’s all down to the individual and which dice you find the more rewarding for your natural rolling style.

See if you can find a cheap dice bundle of odds and ends on eBay and try rolling with all the of different shapes and sizes of dice until you find the one you like best.

Natural Rolling VS Practiced Rolling
Casinos don’t take kindly to card counters or dice rollers. They don’t require proof to chuck you out and give you a good kicking in the process. The same goes for playing tabletop war games, but hopefully without the rearrangement of your face.

Being able to naturally roll high from regular practice is one thing, but Practiced Rolling is something a little different. There are many practiced dice rolling methods that can guarantee a high number on a single dice or a small handful of dice. I’ve seen all kinds of methods from back hand rolling actions to chest flings, flicks of the wrist and even a Jedi Wave. There isn’t a text book method to it, but when these players really needed a tank to die, or for a a character to make his 5+ invulnerable save and avoid instant death, they’ve got their Practiced Rolling down to a fine art.

I don’t condone the practices discussed here. If you choose to employ these methods, then fine, but be discreet about it!

I once saw a lack of discretion turn a friendly 4-way game into a Wild West Poker game. Ok, it wasn’t as if anyone said “Ain’t nobody that lucky!”, flipped the table and went for their guns or started a bar room brawl, but the other 3 players knew exactly what was going on and ‘politely’ made the 4th player very aware of the fact. He went back to his Natural Rolling and the game continued pleasantly…after the other 3 players annihilated his army.

Conclusion
Dice rolling is the core of the game, so practice makes perfect. The Games Workshop design team is certainly aware of this, otherwise more models would have a 4+ invulnerable save and not a 5+ invulnerable save.

So find the right set of dice for your Natural Rolling (don’t have 6 different dice sizes on the table like some players!) and if you want to master Practiced Rolling, keep it discreet and only use it when you really, really need it (-then cry when you fail your roll).

See Dice Rolling 101 for more on dice rolling techniques

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